Best effort: SDSU's Zenner too good, too true

BROOKINGS – Zach Zenner isn't as complete as advertised. Can't be. That's the contrarian angle some NFL scouts quietly have chased during visits to Brookings.

This is where things stand after four seasons of outstanding production on the field combined with extensive tales of off-field efforts: Professional talent evaluators feel compelled to be next-level skeptical of the South Dakota State running back if only because he's not the norm. He's a well-rounded star in the era of the anti-hero athlete.

The fifth-year senior is fourth in FCS history for career rushing yards at 6,163. He's a biology/pre-medicine major with a 3.87 GPA and early acceptance into medical school. He's researched colon cancer and volunteered internationally. He testified before the state Legislature in support of a new stadium and has picked up piano lessons. Why? Doesn't every All-American ball carrier want to learn how to play movie scores?

Sure, the 6-foot, 220-pounder is athletic and smart. But so are many others. The thing that sets apart Zenner, according to those close to him, is discipline and precision. He does the right thing all the time.

Make that most of the time. He was five minutes late to a weight workout as a true freshman, accidentally falling asleep after shutting off his alarm. Zenner felt sick about it and remembers the incident vividly down to what he was wearing (red shorts). Rather than cutting reps, he powered through the session so he would finish with the rest of the team. He's hasn't been late since, despite taking on an abundance of outside obligations.

Zenner is a once-in-a-generation student-athlete, and he makes it look easy, almost clinical.

"We've been blessed with many, many guys that you'd say are the picture of a student-athlete – and I mean that," said his head coach John Stiegelmeier, whose program regularly leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference in academic distinctions. "And Zach's a notch above, a different level. I'm bold enough to say I don't think we'll have another guy like him."

That might be a bit premature given that younger brother Sam Zenner is headed to SDSU next year. He's been billed by Eagan (Minn.) High School coach Rick Sutton as a clone except slightly leaner and with an aptitude for engineering rather than medicine. Younger sister, Abby, is at SDSU, too, having gained an NCAA Division I scholarship in swimming less than two years after taking up the sport.

So, yes, the Zach Zenner story starts at home, although that portion is unremarkable to the primary participants. Paul and Carol Zenner are Minnesota natives. They live in the suburbs and have good jobs and four children, Zach being the eldest. They didn't play college sports.

Were they strict with him as a kid? Zenner thinks most would see it that way, at least by comparison. He remembers when some of his friends started getting paid by their parents for getting good grades; he wanted the same deal. Not happening. Dedication was an expectation. Go all in, and don't worry about the rest. That was the gist. Other than that ...

"We talked," Paul explained. "I held him accountable for his choices. We talked about them."

The Zenners encouraged their kids to get involved in sports, seeing that as an important part of character building and physical health.

By the time Zach started playing tackle football in third grade, Paul knew – from neighborhood track meets – that he was fast. So he politely suggested that the coach move Zach from tight end to running back. He wound up scoring 26 touchdowns that season; Paul has memorized the stat.

Still, nobody expected this. The Zenners hoped that Zach would get on the field at some point in his career, maybe earn a starting spot. He wasn't considered to be a prize on the recruiting scene – the major websites didn't even have a profile page for him. Princeton wanted Zenner but doesn't award athletic scholarships. North Dakota State saw him as a linebacker – and walk-on, at that. SDSU was the only Division I school to offer a football scholarship, and it wasn't a full ride.

Now he's in the stretch run of a storied college career: The second player in FCS history to rush for 2,000 yards in separate seasons; 30 times topping the 100 mark in a game; more than 1,300 yards ahead of anybody else in Valley history.

All his family wanted was one touchdown. He got that in the third quarter of his first game, putting up another 61 since – a conference record.

"We're watching going, 'Everything is gravy from this point forward,' " Paul said of the initial score. "You just want your kids to have a little taste of that. That was his one dream in high school – to play at the college level, and everything else has been just amazing."

'HE IS THE X-FACTOR'

There's room to grow, too, as No. 14-ranked SDSU (8-4) has qualified for the FCS playoffs for the third year in a row, opening the 24-team tournament Saturday at No. 17 Montana State (8-4). This is the best postseason stretch in Jacks history – they totaled two playoff berths before this – and Zenner has been the driving force, the most consistent performer in a decorated senior class that has totaled a school-record 31 wins.

By virtue of that, he's been the primary focus of practically every defensive scheme for the past three years. Zenner commanded that attention by rushing for 183 yards at Kansas to start his sophomore year. That included a 99-yard score, the former prep centerfielder answering questions about his speed by running away from a Big 12 secondary. He also reached triple digits at Missouri and Nebraska.

He's been the difference for SDSU in several games over the years, the player that separated two evenly matched sides.

"He is the X-factor," Stieglemeier said. "I was asked today – how can he be so durable? You watch him practice as a sophomore and a junior and he tore his body down every practice. The games weren't easy, but it wasn't like a shock to his system. Then he cared for his body."

To be clear, Zenner isn't opposed to the occasional pizza buffet raid, especially if invited by the offensive linemen to join their weekly gorge session. It's just that more often than not he's eating right, staying hydrated and (somehow) keeping up on sleep.

Two years ago, then SDSU defensive lineman Josiah Fitzsimmons conducted for a class a test of lean-muscle retention during the course of a football season. The average Jacks player lost four pounds of muscle; Zenner gained one. Early in his junior season, he matched a career high with 295 yards in a win at North Dakota. The next day, he did squats on his own so as to not miss a workout because of a class conflict. On Monday nights, he does a stretching routine after team meetings, yoga mat in tow.

The extra efforts have helped him stay healthy. He's never missed a college game, while totaling 987 touches during the past three seasons.

Do friends and foes give Zenner a hard time about his stringent style? Absolutely. But they acknowledge the effectiveness of it, too. Redshirt freshman running back Brady Mengarelli has decided to do whatever Zenner does in terms of training. True freshman running back Isaac Wallace – another aspiring doctor – came to SDSU in part because of his admiration for Zenner.

"I hate when people say, 'Well, he's a freak' or 'He's superhuman.' That's a discredit to his work ethic, to his effort," Jacks strength and condition director Nate Moe said. "Is everybody going to have the level of success he had? No. But can everybody work at that level and be much better than they are? Yeah. That's what people should look at."

That work ethic isn't exclusive to athletics. In March, Zenner went to Jamaica to do mission work and build homes. He's a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. This week, even as the Jacks are prepping for the playoffs, he's helping line up holiday donations for a local family.

Zenner is in the running for (at least) three national awards for his combination of skill, smarts and service. He's a candidate for the Walter Payton Award (the best player in the FCS) and the William V. Campbell Trophy (the academic Heisman) and already has been named to the AFCA Good Works Team.

He stands out even in an off-campus household of current and former football players that boast high GPAs and challenging majors. Recently, he passed on playing video games, roommate and receiver Jason Schneider said, because he had some homework due – in a couple weeks.

"What?" the pharmacy major Schneider said with a smile. "He's just always on top of things. He always does the right thing."

For that, Zenner credits his parents and his faith. He didn't create this path; he's merely following it. The next stop might be the NFL – he hopes it will be. Every team has sent at least one rep to Brookings this fall, and most have sent more.

"I sound phony when I'm talking about Zach Zenner," SDSU receivers coach Josh Davis said, "because I start talking about how accountable he is, how great his work ethic is and how he's been for us for four and a half years. I fear that a lot of the NFL scouts are questioning my credibility as a liaison."

So they ask around. The head coach, the strength coach, the equipment guy – somebody has to have a less-than-glowing report on Zenner. The funny thing is that won't really matter at the next level – Zenner will make it or not based on his ability.

As for his time at SDSU, it's transcended football.

"He makes it look easy," Jacks athletic director Justin Sell said. "If all of us could figure out that essence, it would be really hard to measure greatness because it would even it all out."

The Zach Zenner file

Year/position: Senior running back

Hometown: Eagan, Minn.

Benchmarks: Fourth in FCS history for career rushing yards (6,163) and career all-purpose yards (7,751). Finalist for the Walter Payton Award and the William V. Campbell Trophy. Two-time All-American.

Grading out: Two-time academic All-American. Has a 3.87 GPA while majoring in biology/pre-medicine and has been accepted to medical school. Aspires to become a surgeon.